Come November 8, Americans will vote for a variety of issues other than our next President that will actually end up shaping up much of our day-to-day existence. From the legalization of recreational marijuana to increased taxes on cigarettes, here are some of the state-specific ballot initiatives and down-ballot candidates that you should be aware of before heading to the polls.
1. The legalization of recreational marijuana: folks in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada will weigh in on this.
2. The legalization of medical marijuana: Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota will deal with this issue.
3. Should the law require adult film performers to use condoms when making porn? California voters will have to decide.
4. The right to hunt and fish: Indiana will vote on whether to amend the state's constitution to establish a defined right to hunt and fish. In Montana, residents will join a referendum about the use of animal traps on state lands and in Kansas people will decide on the right to hunt, fish and trap wildlife.
5. Should the District of Columbia become the 51st state? Voters will decide and Congress will also have to approve.
6. The status of the death penalty: California and Nebraska will vote on whether to ban capital punishment (if the ban goes through, executions will become illegal in a total of 21 states across America). In Oklahoma, on the other hand, residents will decide whether or not to add the death penalty to the constitution, which would make it easier for the state to carry out executions in the future.
7. Changing the voting system in Maine: A state ballot is looking to swap out the current state electoral system in Maine with ranked-choice voting for both the presidency and senators/representatives. When the ballots are tallied, "if no candidate has more than 50 percent of voter's first choices, then the least-popular candidate will be eliminated. His or her supporters would have their top-ranked candidate crossed off their ballots and their votes would fall to their second-ranked candidates," explains Politico.
8. Background checks on gun purchases: Maine and Nevada will vote on whether or not to require a point-of-sale background check for all classes of firearms while Californians will be voting on background checks for ammunition purchases.
9. Cigarette taxes: Cigarette taxes could increase by $2 per pack in California, by $1.75 per pack in Colorado, by 60 or 23 cents in Missouri and by $1.76 in North Dakota.
10. Life-ending treatments: Colorado residents will participate in a referendum about the "Death with Dignity" legislation, which would allow terminally ill patients to receive life-ending treatments.
11. Minimum wage: Colorado, Arizona and Maine will vote on whether to increase the minimum wage to $12 by 2020. Washington seeks to increase it to $13.50 while South Dakota will vote on whether to decrease it by a dollar for those under 18.
12. Age limits for judges: Pennsylvania, Oregon and Alabama will decide.
13. Plastic bag use: California will vote on whether to implement a ban on single-use plastic bags.
14. Local elected officials: From school board members and state court judges to mayors and city council members, Americans will vote for their local officials. Head to Vote411.org and enter your address to build your ballot, learn about all the candidates that are running in your community and where they stand on each issue.